Globe Tracers 1: The Case of Thomas Crain

Chapter 16: Losing Hope

Kyle:

We climbed out of the basement, I was the first one up. I felt myself lifted out by a pair of hands I did not know and a gun was put to my head as I was thrown against the wall. I did not see the man who was holding me but heard him shout, "Alright, whoever is with this boy, get up here nice and slow unless you want his brain shot out. I can hear you still down there." I cursed the fact that blowing up the wall in the basement meant I had used an attack that spent my powers. I was as helpless in that moment.

Jessica came up the ladder, showing her hands as two more men pulled her out of the hole in the floor. The men holding her were well built, European, and dressed in business suits. "There's just me," Jessica said.

"What was that blast?!" the man holding me demanded.

"I don't know, we got curious we just wanted to see ourselves." Jessica began.

"I don't believe that for a minute!" one of the men holding Jessica shouted, he threw her against the wall too. I started trying to summon my powers, wanting more than anything to teach that man how not to treat girls... especially Jessica.

I had to stop these two somehow, even though I couldn't fight them, and Jessica wouldn't so long as that meant putting me in danger. "We were setting off fireworks in the basement, just for fun. We didn't want anyone to know... we're sorry."

A man behind the two thugs holding Jessica and I spoke up. "He's probably telling the truth. C'mon, they're just two kids, how much damage could they do?"

I heard a siren off in the distance. I felt the grip on my back relax. "Cops!" shouted the man holding me. "What do we do with them? Do we just take them?"

'Just try it,' I thought. 'Guarantee we'll put up more of a fight than kidnappers like you are use to.'

"With that missing little boy on everyone's radar? They're just coming to see about the explosion." said the man behind us all. "Just leave them and let's get moving." I felt myself thrown to the ground as Jessica was thrown down too. I then rolled over to watch the three men run out of the building and jump into a car parked next to Allen's. They quickly drove off.

I slowly got back to my feet breathing a sigh of relief, my heart starting to decide it didn't want to jump out of my chest after all. Just then I was again grabbed.

This time I was able to send a powerful electric shock into my attacker knocking him on his hindquarters... just to realize it was only Allen trying to rush me out of the building. "OW!" he shouted at me. "I guess your powers are back."

"Sorry..." I said with a sheepish grin.

"Don't worry about it, just get to the car," he said, getting back up quickly. "Jessica left the DNA scanner with me when she went up in case things went awry. I opened it up and realized something. The car those creeps who attacked you two just sped away in; Thomas was in it at some point!"

"We've got to follow them!" I shouted. Allen ran to the doors, not replying as Jessica grabbed my hand.

"Congratulations on stating the obvious, now let's move!" Jess yelled.

(***)

As we sped away from the building that housed young Tommy's former prison, Allen placed the DNA scanner on the dashboard of the rambler. Allen didn't know how to use our device very well, only being able to guess his earlier deduction, so Jessica advised him on which directions to take to keep up with our enemies.